In a joint statement, the European shipowner association ECSA and Transport & Environment, the non-profit organisation whose aim is to reduce the environmental impact of the transport sector in Europe, have invited the next The European Commission, which is due to take office by the end of the year, to use the Clean Industrial Deal, which is expected to be presented within the first 100 days of the new Commission's mandate, to support the energy transition of the shipping industry by building a supply chain for clean fuels in Europe.

The exhortation is-the statement reads-to " include shipping in an ambitious Clean Industrial Deal, ensuring that at least 40% of clean fuels and clean and innovative technologies needed to achieve the goals climate of the EU for maritime transport are produced in Europe "and to" allow shipping access to green energy through specific supply requirements in European ports for fuel producers. "

In addition, ECSA and T&E invite to "ensure the international competitive advantage of European industry by positioning shipping, energy and clean technology at the forefront of the green transition" and to " accelerate the transition of transportation maritime European Union by investing in the ETS revenues in maritime decarbonisation through national and EU investment plans and facilitating access to public and private financing. "

Referring to the recent report by Mario Draghi on the competitiveness of the European economy that estimates in 40 billion euros annual investments between 2031 and 2050 needed for the energy transition of shipping, the Secretary General of the ECSA, Sotiris Raptis, noted that " the energy transition has become the new international battlefield of economic competition and security. The Draghi report acknowledged the global leadership of European shipping and the need to remain competitive at international level. Being at the forefront of "green" investments puts European shipping in a position of leadership at the international level. We urge policy-makers to ensure and further leverage this competitive advantage by investing in clean fuels and innovative technologies for energy transition. "

"As Draghi acknowledges, shipping is one of the key industries in Europe," said Mr. Faig Abbasov, head of Shipping at T&E. To maintain its competitive edge, Europe must take the lead in the production of environmentally friendly fuels for the shipping of the future, in particular those derived from green hydrogen. Policymakers must close the regulatory gap by requiring fuel producers to make environmentally friendly marine fuels available in European ports, while carbon market revenues should support this effort. "